Tell us about other ways you are involved in orienteering (e.g. coaching, mapping, organizing events…)

Although I’m often preoccupied with other affairs, I do my best to get involved with local orienteering meets. I might be putting up/taking down flags, preparing refreshments, and mentoring younger, first-time orienteers.

What sort of mental training do you do to improve your orienteering?

I sometimes get nervous before my races and lose my concentration and energy. To calm myself down, I try to remember tough races I’ve done in the past and think to myself “If I’ve finished all those race, there’s no reason I can’t do this one.” I might also use this technique if I think I’m panicking during my race.

How do you use technology tools or gadgets to enhance your training (software, apps, GPS watch, Catching Features, GoPro…)? Tell us about your favourites.

I regularly exercise using a Garmin Forerunner 220. It tracks distance, speed, heart rate, elevation, etc. It’s great for seeing what I’m succeeding in and what I need to improve on. There’s Attackpoint of course, where I can log all my training and view what other orienteers are doing. I also occasionally use QuickRoute, where you can overlay my GPS data of a run over a map.

__

Tomas is a member of Orienteering Canada’s 2017 High Performance Program